


The Language of Flowers

by LondonFan



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, this is probably a little OOC but I needed shmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:44:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3345728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LondonFan/pseuds/LondonFan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Valentine's Day is on the horizon, and Jim wants to teach Spock about the human tradition of celebrating it as the day of love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Language of Flowers

“Come _on_ , Spock, it's gonna be _fun_!” Jim Kirk clapped his First Officer's shoulder and beamed at him. In response, he only got one raised eyebrow.

“Your definition of _fun_ obviously varies from mine,” Spock retorted. “Every time we did something that turned out to be horribly boring, or dangerous, you said it would be fun. Yet it wasn't. Either your definition is wrong, or you cannot judge situations at all. I do hope it is not the latter – since it would make you incredibly unqualified as our captain.”

Jim stared at him, his hand slowly sinking back to his side. “Damn, Spock, do you always have to be such a spoilsport?”

No response this time, just a glare that spoke volumes.

Jim sighed. “Fine. Okay. Maybe I say that something will be fun too often.  _However_ , I promise that this will be different! No dangers, no boredom – and on top of it, you'll actually learn something.”

“Oh?” Now he had Spock's interest. “Pray elaborate.”

“Very well,” Jim smiled smugly. “Valentine's Day has been – and _is_ – a famous holiday on Earth. In fact, its celebration dates back to the 14 th century. So it's become a tradition that I want to show you. You are always eager to learn about our species, so – why not have me as your teacher?”

“It does sound intriguing,” Spock had to admit. “Very well, then.”

“Wonderful! So, 14th February it is! Meet me at 2100 hours, in our artificial forest.”

“Noted.”

“Great. It's a date, then!” And with a huge smile on his face, Jim left Spock and walked on the bridge.

~*~

Come 14 th February, Jim arrived at precisely 9 PM at the door to the ship's forest. It is thought of as a recreation area, and it displays a typical Terran forest with characteristic plants and sometimes, even animals. Jim has managed to reserve the room for Spock and him alone, since he does not only plan to teach the Half-Vulcan some of Earth's customs regarding Valentine's Day, but also regarding love and hugs and kisses. He's had a crush on his First Officer for quite a while now, and it seems that the whole crew of the  _Enterprise_ knew – everyone except Spock. And what better day to tell him than Valentine's Day? 

He entered the forest and placed the little gifts for Spock (a box of chocolate designed as a heart and a Valentine's card) behind a bush. And then, he waited.

It wasn't usual for Spock to be late, and Jim got a little worried, when all of a sudden Spock emerged from behind a group of trees, a leaf in his head, and he looked like he just completed a three-day-hike through a forest.

“Apologies, Jim, I was searching for something and then lost the way,” he admitted and brushed some fir needles off his uniform.

“I'm glad you're here,” Jim said, “I was getting worried there for a sec. Happy Valentine's Day, Spock!”

“Since this day is just the same as any other, I do not see why it should be a happy one, but this appears to be a tradition as well. So, Jim – the sentiment is returned.”

“Thanks,” Jim grumbled. “So. Are you ready to learn about the day of love?”

Spock cleared his throat. “ _Actually_ , I have been educating myself a little, I have to admit. I know you wanted to teach me, but my curiosity was piqued, so I read something about it. Thus, I believe, it is common to exchange gifts, is it not?”

“U-uh, yes?” Jim replied, a little confused. He didn't think Spock would get him something since he saw giving presents as something rather illogical.

The more surprised he was when Spock handed him a bouquet of flowers.

“Thanks,” he stammered and looked at the flowers in confusion. He didn't even see a pattern there – all sorts of flowers thrown together. It did look rather nice, yes, but Spock was someone who saw a logical approach to _everything_ , but the choice of flowers didn't seem to make much sense.

“I see you are a little puzzled,” Spock chimed in. “Let me explain why I chose these particular flowers.” He sat down on the ground and Jim followed. Spock spread the flowers out on the floor, re-arranging them until he was happy with the order.

“That’s… quite a collection you have there,” Jim said.

“Affirmative.”

“I seem to mean quite a lot to you.”

“You do.” Those words were spoken with such honesty that it took Jim's breath away for a second. But Spock didn’t seem to notice. He was already absorbed by the flowers in front of him.

He then pointed to the first two. “These are oak-leaved Geranium and Arborvitae. They stand for true and unchanging friendship.” Spock looked up at Jim and handed him the plants. “I do believe it's quite obvious why I chose them – you obviously are my best friend.”

“Aww, Spock...” Jim was genuinely touched by this as it wasn't easy for a Vulcan to admit to things such as friendship. He carefully cradled the fragile flowers in the palm of his hand and looked at them fondly.

Spock proceeded to explain the meaning of the others still laying on the ground. When he picked the next one, Jim exclaimed, “Oh, that’s a Violet!”, proud to have recognised a flower because, honestly, plants weren’t his cup of tea.

“It stands for loyalty, devotion and faithfulness. All attributes that I believe describe you perfectly. Which, in turn, makes you a wonderful captain.”

Jim blushed. That was a compliment he often heard from his crew, but never from Spock. To hear it now, from him – well, that simply was the icing on the cake.

Spock already had picked up the next flower. “The Edelweiss,” he explained. “It looks are familiar to you, but its meaning isn’t. It stands for courage and devotion. It goes very well with Thyme which stands for both courage and strength. And you, Jim, are a courageous and brave captain, always thinking of your crew first – and you are the best captain I could hope for.”

Jim smiled at him, heart beating a tiny bit faster than usually.

Spock then pointed to a blue Salvia blossom that was positioned next to a red one of the same type. “Though they look the same,” he began, “they have different meanings.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. The blue one stands for a message that it brings from the giving person to the one who receives it: _I think of you_.”

“You…,” Jim said slowly, “you think of me?”

“Of course I do,” Spock said matter-of-factly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Most of the time when I meditate. You apparently occupy my every thought.” He didn't elaborate any further but looked back down at the remaining flowers. “The other ones I picked mean more or less the same,” Spock stated, “and these ones describe you and your attributes like loyalty, nobility, honesty and so on.” He pointed at about ten different flowers. “And the others... they don’t necessarily describe you, but rather… the things I feel when I think about you.” He held up a purple morning glory. “It stands for affection, for example. And this…” Spock held up a red one, hesitating. He seemed a bit nervous now, and Jim had no idea why.

“What does this stand for?”

“It is a message again,” Spock said quietly, then looked up at Jim. “ _Forever mine_.”

Jim gulped.

Again, there was no explanation. Spock pointed to a purple heliotrope, a white yarrow and a myrtle blossom. “And these stand for eternal, everlasting and true love.” He then picked up a beautiful tulip, the second to last plant on the ground, and handed it to Jim.

“Doesn’t… doesn’t a tulip stand for declaration of love?” Jim asked quietly, still not knowing and understanding what was happening here. Not at _all_.

Spock didn't reply to that, but handed him the last one that was left on the ground. It was not a plant per se, it was a branch. “This is an Arbutus,” he explained. “I think that the meaning of this fits perfectly with my Vulcan heritage.

Jim was almost afraid too ask. “What does it mean, then?”

Spock's voice was low and a mere whisper when he told Jim the meaning. “ _Thee Only Do I Loveth._ ”

Silence.

Jim stared at Spock and Spock stared back, and neither of them said a word. They didn't need to – they understood each other without words.

Jim started to laugh all of a sudden.

“Jim?” Spock asked, voice filled with worry. “Why are you laughing? This is something I truly mean, I just opened myself to you, I do not understand why you would _laugh_ at me.” He sounded genuinely upset – a rare thing, really, and Jim was quick to answer.

“No, Spock, I'm not laughing at you. I'm just sort of having a breakdown here.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “See, you gave me the most wonderful thing you could have given me, and I only brought... this.” He pulled out the chocolate and the Valentine's card that said ' _Bee mine_ ' with a bee kissing a flower on the front. “It's just so _embarrassing_.” 

Spock studied both the card and the sweets intently. Then he looked up. “Jim, you  _do_ know that chocolates are my favourite candy? It does tend to have... certain effects on my nervous system. A condition that you would probably call drunk. But I do appreciate chocolates. A lot.” Then he stared at the card again. “As for this – it is quite amusing. Cute, that's the word you would use.”

Jim needed a while for this to sink in, but then he hesitantly started to smile. And Spock – he smiled back. It was not a huge, teeth-showing smile, no. But the corners of his mouth lifted, and his eyes twinkled, and that was a huge gesture on Spock's part.

Carefully, he extended a hand to reach out for Spock's. Jim had read enough about Vulcans to know that their hands were extremely sensitive and their equivalent to a human kiss was the touching of index and middle finger. He gently ran his index finger over Spock's palm, from the wrist to the lowest phalanxes, then back to the wrist, before eventually putting his index and middle finger over Spock's.

And Spock let him.

Jim didn’t know who made the first step, or when, but suddenly, their lips were meeting in a hesitant, loving kiss, gently pulling and caressing, putting all the emotion and passion that had been hidden the past months – _years –_ into  it.

This moment was just about him and Spock, and nothing could come between them.

When they did part for air, Jim couldn’t tell how much time had passed. And he didn’t care. He just knew that he wanted to continue and judging by the look in Spock's eyes, so did he.

When Spock leaned in for another kiss, Jim quickly angled his head away and smirked cheekily at him. “I _did_ tell you it was gonna be fun, didn't I?” And with that he dived back in to press another soft kiss to Spock's mouth. 

** Happy Valentine's Day! **


End file.
